LAN8014

Course

LAN8014

Course Title

Beginning Chinese I

Description

This course is designed for students with little or no exposure to the Mandarin Chinese language. Students will be introduced to fundamental vocabulary, grammar, speaking skills, and cultural traits that will allow them to communicate through oral exercises.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Express greetings, dates, time concepts and personal inquiries

Demonstrate greater ability in pronunciation, even of unfamiliar works, in Mandarin Chinese.

Express an understanding of some cultural characteristics of China.

Content

1. Pinyin

Initials and finals

Tones

2. Vocabulary

Greetings and niceties

Numbers

Days, dates and general time concepts

Personal inquiries

Familial relationships

3. Grammar

Basic sentence structure - Subject + Verb + object

The position of adverbs, time phrases

Conjunctions

4. Extension of Chinese culture

Prerequisites

None

Method of Instruction

Presentation of new material, repetition, substitution and transposition.

Promotion of conversation, making use of all subject matter and grammatical concepts. Instructors may supplement with field trips or additional material.